Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Mexico City (Agenzia Fides) -“Our pastoral duty is evangelisation, because we realise the urgency of God's Kingdom and the call to be apostles with our life-style. Our hope grows with the celebration of the 5th general conference of the Council of Latin American Bishops' Conferences which will help fortify us in our mission to be disciples and missionaries of Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life" the Bishops of Mexico write in a message addressed to the People of God with the title “Servants of the Gospel and Witnesses of Hope" issued at the end of their plenary assembly 16 to 20 April (see Fides 17/4/2007 and 21/4/2007).
First of all the Bishops recognise the present epochal changes, "where values which support the present cultural model are questioned with various arguments and anti-values appear as options which present themselves to the citizen without alternative, often violating his freedom”. Therefore the responsibility of Christians today is to "make the values of the Kingdom of God be leaven in the process of managing the epochal changes or the new cultural model". Undoubtedly many changes have been positive for example "more signs of democracy", to which the Church offers her contribution. But there are still many open questions regarding education for young people which must be “rich in principles and values and aim for the integral development of the person"; women "deserve greater recognition from the community and from the bishops"; the poor "are not a minority to be treated as an exception they are the majority and they long for worthy living conditions and full development"; emigrants and indigenous peoples, "demand just and human treatment, respect for rights and dignity".
The Bishops say the Church must become the home and school of communion, "Lay faithful, consecrated persons, priests and bishops must unite in bonds of charity and action for new evangelisation"… "Lay faithful must realise the specific vocation as men and women of the Church in the heart of the world and men and women of the world at the heart of the Church."
The Bishops conclude reaffirming their concern for human life which the state has the primary duty to protect and defend since life is a natural right of every human being. In a message to the Bishops sent through his secretary of state Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Pope Benedict XVI says he is close to the "Church in mexico and many men and women of good will concerned with regard to a proposed Bill of the Federal District which threatens the life of the unborn child". This Easter Season in which we celebrate life's victory over death with the resurrection of Christ, drives us "to defend and protect with firm decision the right to life of every human being from the moment of conception from an attack by the culture of death". (RG) (Agenzia Fides 21/4/2007; righe 37, parole 526)
